Down Below (NYRB Classics)

This may seem a slim, short book, with one third of it being the informative & insightful introduction by Marina Warner—but the brief 60-odd pages of Leonora Carrington's memoir of madness is far from scant & is definitely compelling. What strikes me is her tone: almost matter-of-fact, without affect; but also intensely intimate & raw, with all of it shaped through the artist's eye & the writer's ear. The result is an inner journey like few others, told in a distinct voice & with a distinct vision—the voice & vision that informs all of Carrington's creative work as writer & artist. As such, it is a vital part of her corpus of work.—But it's difficult for me to write about her from the semi-detached viewpoint of The Reviewer, because I've long been enthralled by her gloriously rich & magical art. She's one of those rare creators whose natural habitat is the endlessly fecund realm of Psyche, someone who opens new vistas & new ways of experience for those who come to her work. At least, she's done that for me, and I'm grateful for it. For anyone who seeks a similar experience of inward revelation, most highly recommended!

Fascinating. I had never heard of this woman before and was completely taken in by her story.

In the end, i was rather disappointed. Without Warner's intro which was in someways overkill to the story, is better. The actual story by Carrington was disjointed and hard to follow, as expected, by not much there.

Very nice. Wanted more. Kind of like being hungry and not knowing where to turn.

I really love Marina Warner's introduction to this book.

most interesting and unusual book

Pretty good.

Good opening line... and then it's all downhill, alas. Of course it has interest for those who want to learn about the female contribution to surrealism, and you might sympathize with what Carrington is trying to achieve in this confessional work (because you like her painting), yet it doesn't hold a candle to Anna Kavan's Asylum Pieces as an adventure in Kafkaesque tribulation.

Lovely seller and the book arrived in great condition, thank you

This was all the more harrowing for the matter of fact description of her ill treatment and the sense of warped reality is powerful.

I have ordered a lot of books from Wordery and always find that they arrive promptly and in very good condition. This book is very interesting to anyone who is interested in Leonora Carrington's life. She had a fascinating life as an artist and writer and as a person who followed what she loved and that was her art. I would recommend Wordery to anyone for books.